She escapes, but loses something important...

Despite the sheer ****, Flayn pressed on and continued to swim down and away from the fishing dock.

Well, tried to, anyway as she was unable to overcome the raw strength of whoever had hooked her and was now practically swimming in reverse. It was only a matter of seconds until she’d become visible to whoever was looking at the pond. There was also no way of telling how many people were waiting for her up there.

Was it just one?

Several?

The entire class?

Flayn was terrified by her own imagination. Even worse, she would need to come up for air within the next couple of seconds or she’d pass out. Flayn realized this and used all the energy she could muster and bet it all one final burst of speed.

C’mon almost there! I’ll break free any second now! Any... second… now… Oh, please let go of me! Please Goddess, I’ll do anything, I beg you!

Flayn was granted her wish and broke free from her bindings. With nothing holding her back, Flayn rocketed across the pond, ending up in the far corner by the back of the greenhouse.

Flayn had done it, she was finally free. She rose to the surface and gasped for air. She looked around at her surroundings, a small grin on her face as she had gotten herself out of her predicament.

She was relieved to see that the only person nearby was her professor Byleth who was untangling something from her fishing rod.

This is perfect! I can sneak past Professor while she’s distracted with that and- wait is that!?

To Flayn’s horror, Byleth removed the debris from her fishing hook and unfolded it to get a better look.

It was a bathing suit.

Flayn’s bathing suit.

Byleth simply looked at it with utter confusion, not knowing what it was.

Flayn’s hands rushed down to her body, feeling nothing but bare naked skin. Her cheeks lit back with renewed vigor, they could practically light up a cave. In her struggle to escape, the shoulder straps of her swimsuit both ripped simultaneously and she popped right out of her clothes.

She couldn’t contain her embarrassment and let out a little scream before covering her mouth. Byleth looked over to find the source of the noise. She set the swimsuit on her lap and waved at Flayn.

“Oh, Hello Flayn, I didn’t see you. How are you doing?”

Flayn stared at her dumbfounded, struggling to believe that Byleth didn’t know what just happened. She sheepishly lowered her body until the water came up to just under her chin before cautiously swimming closer to reply. She did her best to ignore the new, strange feeling of the water touching every inch of her body.

“I-I’m doing well, Pr-Professor. H-How goes your fishing today?”

“I just got started. I thought I hooked something big but it was just this thing.” She held up Flayn’s swimsuit to get a better look at it.

“One of the students must have dropped it into the pond, any idea whose it is?”

Byleth’s sheer obliviousness provided Flayn with an important opportunity.

All I have to do is tell Professor that it’s mine and she’ll give it back to right? But how do I do it without her finding out that I’m… underdressed?

Maybe I could… No, that would be too obvious… Well then maybe…

“Uh, Flayn?”

Flayn was shocked back to attention, she must have been lost in thought for too long.

She needed a plan right now.